Nippon-Ham outfielder Franmil Reyes (29) recorded his first multi-hit game of the season with three At Bat in three hit-bats in the game against Seibu (Belluna D) on the 30th. All four of his base runners, including Walk, led to runs, contributing to the team's three consecutive wins to start the season. Last season, he hit a home run in the opening game, but was demoted to the second team in May due to poor performance. This season, the reliable foreign hitter has been on a roll with six hit in 11 At Bat-bats in the opening three games, and will lead the team from the start.
The hard hit ball bounced off Seibu 's ace Genda's glove and rolled towards right-center field. Reyes rounded first base without hesitation, then slid into second base, shaking his massive body. In his third at-bat in the fifth inning with two outs and no runner on base, he caught breaking ball from the opposing starting pitcher Takahashi and hit a strong doble to shortstop. "When I rounded first base and saw the ball, it was quite far away from outfielder, so I decided to go for it." Manager Shinjo, who was sitting in the bench, applauded Reyes' aggressive stance.
He set up Nomura's leadoff doble with a doble down the left-field line in the first inning, and connected on a Walk in the third to bring in Nomura's three-run homer. In the fifth, doble scored on Nomura's second consecutive at-bat. In the eighth inning, he was sent to the plate with a single up the middle, but runner also stepped on the plate. 3 At Bat 3 hit 1 Walk 3 goals. All of his bases loaded led to a run, and he said with a smile, "I was full of motivation, I did what I had to do, and I'm happy with this result."
Last season, his first year in Japan, he hit a home run in the opening game, but only managed one hit in the 10 games starting line-up started in after that. At one point, his batting average was below 10%. "Last year was my first year in Japan, so I was under pressure, and I felt like I had to do it, and that emotional aspect came out, and my performance went down," he reflected.
He spent about a month in Kamagaya from mid-May, and his attitude changed. As he adjusted with the support of many people, he began to feel less cornered. "I gained confidence from that, and now I'm feeling much more positive." With the same momentum as the second half of last season, he had 6 At Bat 11 hit, 1 RBI, 1 Home Run, and 2 Walk in the opening three games. With a batting average of .545, he contributed to the team's three consecutive wins at the start of the season, and he also made a good start to the season.
Manager Shinjo also jokingly praised him, saying, "He hits it so easily. It's probably thanks to that necklace that costs about 10 million yen. Its weight keeps his center of gravity low." When he decided to stay with the team last offseason, he commented, "I couldn't imagine playing anywhere other than The Fighters." This foreign hitter, who is full of "The Fighters love," will use his bat to lead the team to the top, which they were unable to reach last season. (Yamaguchi Yasushi)
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